Sill anchoring means

ABSTRACT

An anchoring means for securing a wood sill plate or similar wooden member to a concrete block or masonry wall. The anchoring means include a pair of elongate straps which are joined together in criss-crossed overlapping fashion to form an X-shaped configuration. The straps each have opposed first and second ends, with the first ends being spaced apart in parallel condition a distance that approximates the width dimension of the sill plate and wall. The first ends are capable of being secured to the sides of the sill plate, while the opposed second ends of both straps are adapted to be received within the normal cavity of the brick or concrete block, as the case may be, following which the block is filled with concrete to firmly hold the anchoring means in place therein while securely affixing the sill plate to its appropriate block.

United States Patent [1 1 Sutter June 17, 1975 SILL ANCHORING MEANS [76]Inventor: Melville B. Sutter, One Cromwell Ter., Akron, Ohio 44313 [22]Filed: Mar. 7, 1974 [21] Appl. No.: 448,813

Primary ExaminerFrank L. Abbott Assistant Examiner-Carl D. FriedmanAttorney, Agent, or Firm-Freeman & Taylor 5 7 ABSTRACT An anchoringmeans for securing a wood sill plate or similar wooden member to aconcrete block or masonry wall. The anchoring means include a pair ofelongate straps which are joined together in crisscrossed overlappingfashion to form an X-shaped configuration. The straps each have opposedfirst and second ends, with the first ends being spaced apart inparallel condition a distance that approximates the width dimension ofthe sill plate and wall. The first ends are capable of being secured tothe sides of the sill plate, while the opposed second ends of bothstraps are adapted to be received within the normal cavity of the brickor concrete block, as the case may be, following which the block isfilled with concrete to firmly hold the anchoring means in place thereinwhile securely affixing the sill plate to its appropriate block.

6 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJUN 1 7 ms 3,889,440

1 SILL ANCHORING MEANS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention, ingeneral, relates to the construction industry and, in particular,relates to a means for securing a sill plate or other wooden member to aconcrete block or masonry foundation or wall structure to support aframe building. In this type of construction it is customary to providefirst a foundation and then to lay up at least one layer of cinderblocks, bricks, or other similar building materials to the desiredheight, following which a wooden member, referred to herein as a sillplate but not limited thereto, is anchored to the wall, following whichthe remainder of the frame building can be constructed upon the woodenmember.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART The prior art shows a variety of strap-typeanchors intended to secure a sill plate or similar wooden member to thetop of a brick, concrete block, or other masonry type wall structure.

Applicant is also aware of a commonly used expedient in this type ofconstruction which is the utilization of anchor bolts which are insertedthrough holes in the sill plate and having their opposed ends embeddedin concrete in the block to which it is secured.

None of this prior art, however, possesses the simplicity of Applicantsdevice combined with its capability of providing a positioning means forthe sill plate to insure that it is properly installed on the top of themasonry wall structure, while providing extremely secure anchoring inthe wall structure'itself. All of this is accomplished with a minimum oflabor at the job site, thereby improving both the efficiency and economyof the building operation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION As noted above, the primary object of theinvention is to provide means for securing and locating a sill plate orsimilar wooden member to a masonry wall of brick, concrete block, etc.

To this end it has been discovered that a simple, yet effective meanscan be provided which requires a minimum of labor but yet achieves theprimary object of the invention to both locate and firmly secure thesill plate in place.

The means involved in the invention include a pair of opposed strapmembers which have first and second ends and which are joined togetherin criss-crossing overlapping fashion intermediate their ends such as bywelding, etc. The anchoring means thus formed present an X-shapedconfiguration.

It has been discovered that if the opposed first ends of the straps areconstructed in parallel, spaced-apart relationship with the spacingapproximating the width dimension of the sill plate and the wall, theplate can be accurately positioned upon the block on which it rests. Ithas also been found that these first ends can be provided with aperturesfor nailing so that the first ends can be securely tied to the sillplate.

It has also been found that if just below the point of interconnectionof the straps they are bent outwardly to form a seat, if the strap isproperly dimensioned, the anchoring means will be enabled to be seatedon the next lower course of blocks.

Finally it has been discovered that if the second ends are made ofsufficient length, they can be received within the cavity within thebrick or block, and if they are also providedwith outwardly bentprojections, they will resist pulling away from that block upon fillingthe OF THE DRAWINGS:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the sill anchoring means in placebut without the concrete poured in the supporting block.

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view thereof.

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view taken from the right of FIG. 2.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring first to FIG. 1,it will be seen that the sill anchoring means, generally referred to bythe numeral 10, include opposed straps 11 and 16, each of which has oneend secured to the sill plate 50 with the opposed end disposed in thecavity 30a of the supporting concrete block 30.

Still referring to FIG. 1 for a detailed description of the anchoringmeans, it will be noted that the straps l1 and 16 have upper endportions 12 and 17, respectively. These end portions are disposed inparallel, spaced-apart relationship, and it is contemplated that thespacing would be such as to approximate the width of the sill plate 50and wall W to insure proper location of the same. The upper end portions12 and 17 are provided with appropriate apertures, such as 12b and 12c,for receipt of nails or other fastening means 60, 60 as clearly shown inFIG. 1 of the drawings so that they may be secured to the sides of sillplate 50.

Depending from the first end portions .12 and 17 of the straps 11 and 16are first intermediate portions 13 and 18. These portions are formed bybending the straps at 12a and 17a so as to cause them to lie in a planeapproximately parallel to the plane of the end face 41 of the block 40.This enables an adjoining block to be mounted in close proximity to theblock 40 without undue interference or undue spacing between the two, aswill be explained further below.

The first intermediate portiona portions and 18 are also joined togetherin overlapping criss-crossing relationship by any suitable means, suchas the weld shown in FIG. 1, to form an X-shaped assembly.

Depending from and integral with first intermediate portions 13 and 18are second intermediate portions 14 and 19 which are formed by bendingthe straps at 13a and 18a at substantially right angles to the plane ofthe face of the first intermediate portions 13 and 18 so as to in effectform a seat. It will be noted from FIG. 1 that formation of a seat ofthis type enables the anchoring means 10 to rest on the top surface 31of the block 30.

Depending from the second intermediate portions 14 and 19 are second endportions 15 and 20 which are again formed by bending the straps as at14a, 19a at substantially right angles to the plane of the face of thesecond intermediate portions 14 and 19. These second 3 end portions areof sufficient'length to be insertable into the cavity 30a of block 30and both terminate in end portions 15a, 20a which are bent outward andwhich tend to resist pulling away from the block 30.

In use or operation of the device, the blocks or bricks are laid up onthe foundation to the desired height, with this step being illustratedonly partially in FIG. 1 by' the block 30. A further block 40 or seriesof blocks would then be mounted on and secured to the block 30 byconventional means, following which an insulation pad 51 would be placedon top of the block 40 and a sill plate 50 is placed on top of that.

Assuming the anchoring means has been constructed as shown in FIGS. 1and 2, it is then merely necessary to position the anchoring means asshown in FIG. 1 and secure the first end portions 12 and 17 thereof tothe sides of the sill plate 50 by fastening means 60, 60, as

clearly shown in FIG. 1.

In this position the anchoring means will appear as they do in FIG. 1,and all that is necessary to complete .the anchoring process is to fillthe cavity 30a of block 30 with concrete which will envelop the secondends and 20 of the straps, with the outturned tabs 15a, 20a serving toassist in anchoring the anchoring means 10 within the cavity a as theconcrete sets up.

Following this, of course, it would merely be necessary to add anadjacent block and cement it into place in normal fashion, with it beingnoted that minimal interference is caused by the existence of theanchoring means 10 due to the fact that first intermediate portions 13and 18 lie against end wall 41 of block 40 and second intermediateportions 14 and 19 seat on the top surface 31 of block 30 and will beenveloped by the mortar to form an integral part of the overall wall W.Following this the superstructure of the building can be finished innormal fashion.

While the anchoring means 10 would normally be made of metal, theinvention is not intended to be so limited since any suitable materialhaving sufficient strength and durability could be employed.

Accordingly then, it has been shown how a simplified, yet extremelyeffective anchoring means can be provided for securing, a sill plate toa wall structure both securely and accurately, and it has also beenillustrated how this can be done very efficiently and economically witha minimum of labor.

While a full and complete description of the invention has been setforth inaccordance with the dictates of the Patent Statutes, it isunderstood that modifications may be resorted to without departing fromthe spirit hereof or the scope of the appended claims.

. What is claimed is:

l. Anchoring means for securing'sill plates to a brick, concrete block,or masonry wall structure comprising; A. a first elongate rigid straphaving first and second end portions; 1 B. a second elongate rigid straphaving first and second end portions; i C. said first and second strapsbeing immovably secured to each other in overlapping fashionintermediate their ends to form an anchoring means that is X-shaped inelevation; D. means for securing said first end portions of said strapsto the edges of the sill plate; and

E. means for securing said second end portions to the wall structure.

2. The anchoring means of claim 1 wherein said first end portions ofsaid straps are parallel to and spaced from each other a distancesubstantially equal to the width dimension of the sill plate.

3. The anchoring means of claim 1 wherein said first and second strapsare offset adjacent their point of interconnection to form a medial seatwhereby said anchoring means may rest on a portion of said wallstructure. v

4.-The anchoring means of claim 1 wherein said second end portions ofsaid first and second straps are offsetat their distal ends forreception within a portion of said wall structure.

5. Anchoring means for securing sill plates to a brick, concrete block,or masonry wall, comprising;

A. a pair of rigid elongate straps each having I. a first end portion,

2. a first integral intermediate portion depending from and lying in aplane substantially normal to the plane of said first end 3. a secondintegral intermediate portion depending from and lying in a planesubstantially normal to the plane of said first intermediate portion,and

4. a second integral end portion depending from and lying in a planesubstantially normal to the plane of said second intermediate portion;

B. said first intermediate portions of said straps being immovablysecured to each other in overlapping criss-crossing fashion;

C. means for attaching said first end portions to the sill plate; and

D. means for attaching said second end portions to said wall.

6. The anchoring means of claim 5 wherein said second end portionsterminate in out-turned flanges.

1. Anchoring means for securing sill plates to a brick, concrete block,or masonry wall structure comprising; A. a first elongate rigid straphaving first and second end portions; B. a second elongate rigid straphaving first and second end portions; C. said first and second strapsbeing immovably secured to each other in overlapping fashionintermediate their ends to form an anchoring means that is X-shaped inelevation; D. means for securing said first end portions of said strapsto the edges of the sill plate; and E. means for securing said secondend portions to the wall structure.
 2. a first iNtegral intermediateportion depending from and lying in a plane substantially normal to theplane of said first end
 2. The anchoring means of claim 1 wherein saidfirst end portions of said straps are parallel to and spaced from eachother a distance substantially equal to the width dimension of the sillplate.
 3. The anchoring means of claim 1 wherein said first and secondstraps are offset adjacent their point of interconnection to form amedial seat whereby said anchoring means may rest on a portion of saidwall structure.
 3. a second integral intermediate portion depending fromand lying in a plane substantially normal to the plane of said firstintermediate portion, and
 4. The anchoring means of claim 1 wherein saidsecond end portions of said first and second straps are offset at theirdistal ends for reception within a portion of said wall structure.
 4. asecond integral end portion depending from and lying in a planesubstantially normal to the plane of said second intermediate portion;B. said first intermediate portions of said straps being immovablysecured to each other in overlapping criss-crossing fashion; C. meansfor attaching said first end portions to the sill plate; and D. meansfor attaching said second end portions to said wall.
 5. Anchoring meansfor securing sill plates to a brick, concrete block, or masonry wall,comprising; A. a pair of rigid elongate straps each having
 6. Theanchoring means of claim 5 wherein said second end portions terminate inout-turned flanges.